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From the Kathmandu Press: Friday, July 27, 2018

All major Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu on Friday have given the top priority to an agreement signed between the government and fasting medical education reform activist Dr Govinda KC on the 27th day of his fast-unto-death on Thursday. Consequently, Dr KC ended his fast yesterday itself. Newspapers have given different angles to the development of events.

On the other hand, the Council of Ministers has said now onwards Cabinet meetings will be ‘paperless’ and it has also been featured on the front pages of major broadsheet dailies. Preliminary results of Pakistan’s general elections have also received significant priority in the press here as the elections are most likely to establish former cricket star Imran Khan’s party as the central force of Muslim country.

Few other political, sociocultural and economic issues have also been featured on the front pages of major newspapers today.

Important

Dr Govinda KC’s hunger strike ends on 27th day

Dr Govinda KC breaks his 15th fast-unto-death on the 27th day, July 26, 2018.

Newspaper reports inform that Dr KC took sips of juice from ruling Nepal Communist Party leader Subas Chandra Nembang and educationist Kedar Bhakta Mathema to end his 27-day long fasting. Nembang had taken the leading role from the political level on behalf of the government to convince Dr KC and his representatives to end the fasting, whereas Mathema is the person who led a committee to find ways of reform for Nepal’s medical education sector few years back. Dr KC had been demanding that the government prepare a law in line with Mathema’s suggestion.

He had agreed to end the fast as the government agreed to meet all his demands.

Meanwhile, Nepal Samacharpatra, The Himalayan Times and Republica have viewed that the agreement that the government signed with the activist is KP Sharma Oli-led ‘powerful’ government’s ‘submission’ to the crusader fighting for the larger good.

According to Annapurna Post lead story, the agreement is a foundation for institutional reforms in Nepal’s medical education sector. Naya Patrika says the government has expressed its commitment to implement the agreement honestly.

‘Paperless’ Cabinet meeting names new Army Chief

The first ‘paperless’ Cabinet meeting on Thursday, July 27, 2018.

According to Gorkhapatra lead story, the Cabinet meeting has turned paperless from Thursday as all ministers tabled agendas for discussions and took notes on their computers yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet meeting yesterday named Lieutenant General Purna Chandra Thapa as the successor of incumbent Chief of Army Staff Rajendra Chhetri, according to Kantipur and The Himalayan Times.

Chhetri is retiring on September 10, but he will take a leave exactly one month before the retirement date. Therefore, Thapa will be the Acting Chief of Army Staff on August 10, explains The Himalayan Times.

Meanwhile, the meeting split the Ministry of Agriculture, Land Management and Cooperatives into the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development; and the Ministry of Land Management and Cooperatives, according to newspaper reports.

Joshee ‘ignored’ lawmakers’ queries

Deepak Raj Joshee

Annapurna Post, Nagarik and Gorkhapatra report that Acting Chief Justice Deepak Raj Joshee apparently did not respond to queries of lawmakers well during a meeting of Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee yesterday as he completed answering all questions in just around 15 minutes.

Gorkhapatra reports that the lawmakers spent around two hours to ask questions to him, but he answered them in overall in just 17 minutes. It means he missed giving specific answers to most of the questions.

Dissatisfied with his presentation at the meeting, the panel consisting of lawmakers from both the houses has delayed endorsing his name. Though the Committee endorses names immediately after the hearing, the Committee postponed its meeting for today to make the final decision, according to Nepal Samcharpatra.

Internet price hike withdrawn

Citing the government’s decision to impose a 13 per cent telecommunication tax on the use of internet, internet service providers had decided to adjust the price accordingly from the beginning of this fiscal year (July 17). But, on the 10th day of the fiscal year yesterday, the government convinced the service providers to roll back the decision as the tax burden lies on the providers, not the company.

However, those who have been using internet via mobile data will still need to pay the hiked price, reports Naya Patrika, adding the decision will give relief to only broadband internet users.

The government piled pressure on the service providers not to raise internet fees as international bandwidth price had come down, according to The Himalayan Times.

Ignored

Money of dissolved entrepreneur committees will be used for welfare fund

Naya Patrika reports in a snippet that the government is planning to channelise money obtained from bank accounts of transport entrepreneur committees which have been deemed illegal with a Cabinet decision to establish a welfare fund for the sector. A task force formed by the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport has extended this suggestion to the government.

Interesting

Nawalparasi town produces energy from waste

A biomethanation plant launched by Kathmandu Metropolitan City, on Tuesday, June 27, 2017.

Kantipur reports in its anchor story that a town in Nawalparasi district in Province 5 has begun producing biogas from waste. Every day, 150 cylinders of biogas are being produced and they are being sold at Rs 900 per cylinder, according to the report.

A private company, Envipower Energy and Fertiliser Pvt Ltd has launched the project.

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